Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are computer-based telephony applications that answer calls from callers and, typically, attempt to automate calls or to route calls to appropriate human agents or other appropriate applications. Generally the system plays pre-recorded voice prompts to which a person responds by a) pressing a number on a telephone keypad to select an option, b) speaking simple answers such as “yes”, “no”, or numbers, c) speaking keyword responses to menus, or, even d) using unconstrained natural language in an open dialog.
Automatic call distributor (ACD) systems are often the first point of contact when calling many larger businesses, and can be used in place of more expensive IVR systems. An ACD is a telephone facility that manages incoming calls and handles them based on the number called and an associated database of handling instructions. Many companies offering sales and service support use ACDs to validate callers, make outgoing responses or calls, forward calls to the right party, allow callers to record messages, gather usage statistics, balance the queues of waiting calls to agent phone lines, and to provide other services.
IVR systems are used to create and manage services such as telephone banking, order placement, caller identification and routing, balance inquiry, and airline ticket booking. IVR systems are generally used at the front end of call centers to identify which service the caller wants, to retrieve numeric information such as the caller's account numbers, and to provide answers to simple questions such as account balances or pre-recorded information.
IVR systems are often criticized as being unhelpful and difficult to use due to poor design and lack of appreciation of the callers' needs. A properly designed IVR system should connect callers to their desired service promptly and with a minimum of complexity.
When consumers access an IVR system while making a telephone call, many may hang up the call immediately, or hang up during the first few seconds, or a somewhat longer initial part of the call. In such instances a hang up could be motivated by impatience or the desire not to interact with an automated system. Often, however, a hang up is caused by the wording of the various prompts and announcements heard. Typically, the opening verbiage in an IVR can be thought of as a series of announcements, messages, or phrases that come prior to the actual prompt for user input. This verbiage is often a major factor in predicting whether a caller hangs up. When callers hang up during the initial prompts played by the IVR, the purpose of the IVR is undermined. The process of changing various IVR system components so as to minimize this hanging up behavior is currently completely manual.
As appreciated by those skilled in the art, tailoring prompts in applications based on user behavior is done while the IVR is not in use. The process requires an expert such as a UI (user interface) designer or systems analyst to examine places within prompts that exceed desired rates of users hanging up. The manual diagnostic process of having a person review data for initial hang-up rate as a function of prompt length is time consuming, costly, does not allow for prompt variants, and is inconvenient.
There therefore remains a need for a cost-effective technique to identify and resolve an initial hang up as a result of voice prompt, while minimizing the above-described disadvantages.